Writing a Literature or Systematic review

Systematic reviews

Bettany-Saltikov (2012) describes a Systematic Review as:

"... a summary of the research literature that is focused on a single question. It is conducted in a manner that tries to identify, select, appraise and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to that question. High quality research includes those studies with an explicit and rigorous design that allow the findings to be interrogated against clear contexts and research intentions." (p. 5) Bettany-Saltikov, J. (2012).

An outline of the similarities and differences between systematic and literature reviews can be found in Table 1 (p. 49) of the following journal article.

Other resources

Other resources include:

"Systematic Reviews encompasses all aspects of the design, conduct and reporting of systematic reviews. The journal aims to publish high quality systematic review products including systematic review protocols, systematic reviews related to a very broad definition of health, rapid reviews, updates of already completed systematic reviews, and methods research related to the science of systematic reviews, such as decision modeling. The journal also aims to ensure that the results of all well-conducted systematic reviews are published, regardless of their outcome." (Moher, D. - Editor in chief)

Selected titles

Written by an expert team of authors with years of experience in conducting systematic reviews and supervising students doing systematic reviews, the book provides a roadmap to guide you through the process. Throughout the book, the authors make extensive use of questions posed by real students when carrying out reviews to help you through some of the challenges you may face. Like a team of supervisors in your pocket, this book will provide you with the tips and tools for a successful dissertation.

The second edition of this best-selling book has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the significant changes and advances made in systematic reviewing. New features include discussion on the rationale, meta-analyses of prognostic and diagnostic studies and software, and the use of systematic reviews in practice.

This book offers practical advice on how to conduct a synthesis of research in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. The book is written in plain language with four running examples drawn from psychology, education, and health science.